Members of the Seimas - Česlovas JURŠĖNAS

Česlovas Juršėnas was born to a family of farmers on 18 May 1938 in Panižiškė village, Švenčioniai county (now – Ignalina District).

In 1955, he graduated from Ignalina secondary school with a gold medal and entered Vilnius University. In 1960, he was awarded a diploma of a journalist and worked as a journalist for 15 years: first in the editorial offices of the weekly newspaper “Statyba” (Construction) and daily newspaper “Tiesa” (Truth) and as from 1964 as an international reviewer at the Lithuania Radio and Television and Editor-in-Chief of the TV Information broadcasts.

In 1973, he graduated from the Higher Party School of Leningrad (currently – St. Petersburg), speciality of a journalist, and for several years worked at the Central Committee and the Council of Ministers of the Lithuanian Communist Party.

1978-1983 - headed the editorial office of "Vakarinės Naujienos" (Evening News).

With the start of the Revival, he returned to the Lithuanian Radio and Television and edited TV programme "Atgimimo Banga" (Wave of Revival) and other popular broadcasts.

When in 1989 a position of a spokesman to the Government was introduced, he became the first press officer to the Government of Lithuania. Later on, he was responsible for the relations with the Supreme Council.

The nation and the history provided Česlovas Juršėnas with a great honour and right – on 11 March 1990 together with the others to pass the Act on the Re-establishment of the State of the Republic of Lithuania. He was entrusted with a mandate of the historic Supreme Council by the people of the native lands of Švenčioniai and Ignalina. He stood for elections as an independent candidate of the LCP. During the term he worked in the Commission on State Re-establishment and the Constitution. In 1992 he was elected Deputy Elder of the Parliament.  

Since 1992 he has the mandate of the member of the Seimas. In 1997-2000 he also was a member of the Council of Švenčioniai District.

After the 6th Seimas was elected, he became Deputy Chairman of the Seimas, and when Algirdas Brazauskas was elected President of the Republic, he became the Chairman of the Seimas. During the term of the 7th Seimas, he worked in the Committee on Legal Affairs and headed the opposition parliamentary group of the Lithuanian Democratic Labour Party  (LDLP).

During the term of the 8th Seimas, he was elected Deputy Chairman of the Seimas (from 26 October 2000 to 13 March 2002), First Deputy Chairman (from 14 March 2002 to 19 April 2004 and from 12 July 2004 to 14 November 2004). From 6 April 2004 to 11 July 2004 he was Acting Chairman of the Seimas. He was Chairman of the Seimas Delegation to the Assembly of Lithuanian and Ukrainian Parliaments, Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for the Relations with the People's Republic of China.

 He was awarded with the Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great.

In 2003, Česlovas Juršėnas was awarded the name of a citizen of honour of the Švenčioniai District.

He has social democratic beliefs. He was an active participant of the separation of the LCP from the CPSU and independent reorganisation of the LCP. Since 1990 he was the member of the Presidium of the LDLP Council, 1996-2001 – Chairman of the party. He aimed at the unity of left political powers. After the unification of the parties of Social Democrats (SDPL) and LDLP, since the beginning of 2001 he was the First Deputy Chairman of the LSDP and now he is one of the deputies.

Member of the Journalists’ Union of Lithuania, member of the Editorial Science Council of the Lithuanian General Encyclopaedia and the Courts Council. This year he has been awarded Doctor Honoris Causa of the Law University of Lithuania.

Published several books and reference books about the world and politics.

He does not imagine his free time without playing chess. He has not participated in any high-rank official competitions, but he has competed with famous politicians. He was elected President of the Lithuanian Chess Federation.

He collects writings and caricatures of the most famous contemporary politicians. Speaks three foreign languages - English, Russian and Polish languages.

Wife Jadvyga is a journalist. Their son Saulius is a physicist, doctor of natural sciences, works at Vilnius University; grandson Juras is a twelfth-grader, President of the Pupils‘ Union of Lithuania. 

Česlovas Juršėnas was elected in the Ignalina-Švenčioniai single-member constituency No. 53 (nominated by the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party).

Compiled according to the autobiography submitted to the Central Electoral Committee